I think I’m getting old. That weight of age first arrived to my mind when I had to look up what “SMH” meant, and now some memes go soaring over my head. With that in mind, I might be missing the point of The Club, a free-to-play browser MMO of sorts that is likely a parody or needle against cheaply made multiplayer games. I guess it’s also meant to be funny? I’m not sure; like I said, I think I’m getting old.
A newsletter from developer Crows Crows Crows offers this explanation:
“Before Blizzard were stealing characters’ shoes and firing 800 people at a time, they made a little known game called WOW. It was named after the sound people make when they compare it to RuneScape or Club Penguin. We have decided to
stealget inspired by WOW and elements from all of these successful MMOs.”
The Club is described as a mission-less, non-competitive, online music listening game where you play a randomly generated avatar and walk around in what looks like a roiling technicolor digestive system. Interaction is mostly done through a series of preset phrases and sentences, and there are some areas to explore like an outdoor area, a restroom, and, according to a not-so-secret message at the end of the newsletter, a secret door at the back of the club that can only be entered when you are Club Level 18. The game also features a variety of fan-made original songs using samples from musician Silkersoft.
The Club comes from the mind of William Pugh, one of the developers of the brilliantly irreverent The Stanley Parable, so there’s probably at least a little bit of nuance to be gleaned here. If you’ve got a moment to yourself and are in the mood for something truly weird, then step on inside.
